Reading First: Locally Appreciated, Nationally Troubled - The federal Reading First program is widely credited by state and local officials for lifting student achievement, according to this report. Further, the programís impact is felt far beyond the participating schools. Similarly, states reported that more than 3,000 non-Reading-First districts participated in state-led Reading First professional development. (Caitlin Scott, Center on Education Policy, October 31, 2007)...